Cleanliness major concern for tourists visiting the country

LABIS: The ‘1Malaysia Green, 1Malaysia Clean’ campaign launched in July last year was an ambitious project taken up by the Tourism Ministry and it will take time for apparent changes to occur, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. Dr Ng said it was difficult to change the mindset of locals when it came to cleanliness which was still a major concern among tourists who visited the country. “Some tourists have commented the easiest way for them to locate our toilets was to follow the bad smell,” she said. She added it had been months since the campaign was launched and changes in cleanliness was still not very apparent at local tourist spots.

Dr Ng was speaking to reporters after launching the state ‘1Malaysia Green, 1Malaysia Clean’ campaign at the Pusat Rekreasi Kolam Air Panas here recently. Dr Ng added the campaign was a brave and ambitious project by the ministry and explained it would take more time to change the behavioral patterns of locals. “We can continue spreading the message of going green and clean but it is up to the people themselves to change,” she said.

On a separate matter, Dr Ng said she had also spoken to the management of the hot springs about charging separate rates for foreigners. “There are many avenues to upgrade the tourist spots in Tenang especially the hot springs here which is a unique attraction. “Currently, the management only charges an entry fee of RM2 per person and this should be retained for locals but should be increased for foreigners,” she said, adding that locals could produce their MyKads to enjoy reduced rates.
-thestar online.